After three days of intensive discussions, an exciting program and a wide range of products, the 36th International Trade Fair for Retail Promotions and Imports (IAW) came to an end with 285 exhibitors from 26 countries, including 50 first-time exhibitors from 16 countries.

“Although the consumer climate in Germany is creating a difficult environment for retailers, we still see very good future opportunities for our sector, which offers many consumers with a tighter budget products that meet their needs,” reports project manager Kerstin Manke.

The exhibitors presented their goods to business customers with their usual high quality. The product range was diverse: from spring offers and garden furniture to seasonal and fan articles, toys, confectionery and home accessories, visitors could expect a wide range of products from internationally operating companies.

“The entire retail range is always presented at the IAW trade fair, and buyers can get a lot of inspiration here,” says organizer Ulrich Zimmermann. The event is characterized by the affordable prices and the special conditions that buyers receive from the retailers on site. “Of course, the goods on offer are particularly attractive,” says the organizer.

Overall, the exhibitors’ comments on the event sound positive. “The trade fair is going very well, Monday in particular was a good day,” summarizes Oliver Reichstein, Sales Manager at TOPTEN Handels GmbH. In addition to the existing customers who traditionally attend the trade fair, contacts are regularly made with new faces. The exhibitors were also impressed by the internationality of the visitors: “We have a lot of customers here from all over Europe,” reports Erwin Verhaert, Account Manager at Topbrands from the Netherlands, for example.

With around 5,400 visitors, a slight increase in frequency was recorded. Visitor travel was affected by factors including the current high hotel prices in the Cologne trade fair region and the strikes by the various transport companies, which thwarted many travel plans. Synergies with the parallel hardware fair were also noted in the various product categories. The duration of the event was again perceived positively: “Three days is the perfect length for a trade fair,” emphasized Frank Werm, Managing Director of OSMA-Werm GmbH, which has been taking part in the IAW trade fair for many years.

The increasing relevance of the trade fair as a sourcing platform for online retail was evident everywhere at the IAW. Many suppliers are focusing intensively on digital business. Ahmet Türke, Account Manager of the HATEX Group, reports that many of the customers present are increasingly turning to online retail.

Another highlight of the IAW trade fair also revolved around this topic: The E-Commerce Arena, which took place for the 18th time. 26 top speakers from the industry took to the stage in the middle of the E-Commerce Quarter to talk about their experiences in online retail. “This trade fair was very much about Amazon and artificial intelligence,” says Stefan Grimm, organizer of the E-Commerce Arena and co-founder of RESTPOSTEN.de and grosshandel.eu. It is important to the organizers to impart the skills required to deal with the complexity and fast pace of development.

One of the highlights of this year’s Arena was the highly frequented presentation by Florian Arndt, CEO of the film agency Sons of Motion Pictures from Leipzig. Florian Arndt uses artificial intelligence for film production in all areas and has already won numerous awards with it. His keynote speech, accompanied by apple pie and confetti, was impressive thanks to his experience with AI tools, film production and the opportunities that digital change is opening up for the retail sector.

According to Stefan Grimm, the topics of Amazon and AI are essential and have become an integral part of the business. As a small outlook, he announced that discussions such as market conformity, product development and internationalization will also become increasingly important in the future of the industry.

Kai Lindemann was also able to inspire the audience with exciting reports from everyday business life. The founder and managing director of the electronics wholesaler kalitec reported on the initial difficulties of his company, his successful and early entry into online retail and the opportunities offered by modern tools. “It has never been as easy to start up as it is now,” says Lindemann. But if you want to keep up in business, you have to learn to keep up with the times and always be one step ahead of the others.

The 36th IAW trade fair was characterized by valuable contacts and successful sales talks. With its thematic focus and pleasant atmosphere, the IAW trade fair was a successful experience for trade visitors and exhibitors from all over the world. The next IAW trade fair will take place from September 3 to 5, 2024, again in Halls 6 and 9.

Valuable contacts and exciting trade topics: Participants draw positive conclusions after the 36th IAW trade fair in Cologne (PDF)